Anti - Psoriatic activity of phyllanthus urinaria linn

Abstract

The whole plant of Phyllanthus urinaria Linn has been used by traditional folklore medicine in Vietnam for the cure of psoriasis; however, there is no study report on the anti-psoriatic activity of this plant. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the ethanol extract of Phyllanthus urinaria. Psoriasiform lesions were induced in Swiss albino mice divided into six groups of 5 animals each. Groups I, II, III, IV were given 1%, 2%, 4%, 8% plant extract, respectively. Group V (positive control) received Clobetasol Propionate. Group VI (negative control) received no treatment at all. The mice were sacrificed 24 hours after the last treatment. Parameters studied in the mouse tail test were changes in epidermal thickness and percentage orthokeratotic values. Four extract-treated groups produced both significant orthokeratosis and epidermal thickness (p<0.05). The present study showed that Phyllanthus urinaria possesses anti-psoriatic activity at dose 1%. Key words: Phyllanthus urinaria Psoriasis Anti-psoriatic activity Mouse modelos psoriasis Orthokeratosis